Monday night at the AGM of the golf club turned out to be a bloodbath as far as the existing directors were concerned ...the incumbent President retired leaving a vacancy which two members contested..... one was already on the board the other an ordinary member ........the outsider won convincingly.....only the Treasurer was elected unopposed ..... the Captain who has been in office previously as Treasurer and Captain for two years was voted off by a newcomer who won with a significant majority... despite his resume lacking any punch......another long serving board member lost his position with three newcomers joining the only remaining member of the old board who topped the poll.

I'm not surprised some failed to get elected all candidates present a resume of their claims ..reading some you would be forgiven for thinking they were trying to convince the voters not to vote for them.

The bloodletting didn't stop with the election ..notices of motion to change the Constitution submitted by the directors also failed the 75% requirement one was to extend the term from annual elections to two years on a rotational basis .....the other attempted to get the full members to vote in favour of extending voting rights to 5 and 6 day members and associates...... this must have been the fifth or sixth time such a proposition has failed to get the 75% support necessary.

Strangely there was no argument advanced against the motion those opposed just voted it down .

There were around 100 voting members present and an unknown number of interested observers not entitled to vote .....another disappointment for them and those supporting the motion including my good self who favour giving everyone a vote.

The Returning Officer reported 429 ballot papers were issued but only 216 were returned ..the rest couldn't be bothered.

I may have posted some of this before but still it's something that stirs my spirit when the Melbourne Cup comes around.

The Argus – Wednesday 3 November, 1886THE WINNING JOCKEY AND HIS HORSE.The winning jockey, W. English, is able to make a chat about the winning horse and himself very interesting. English, who is only 19 years of age, and as modest as he is young, was born in Maitland, New South Wales, and being always fond of horses, he began a jockey's career about seven years ago in the stable of Mr. Scott, a local turf celebrity.

At that time he was quite a feather weight, and scored his first win on Twilight, when he scaled only 3st. 10lb. After doing very well at Maitland, English travelled to make a living, and then attached himself to Mr. Raynor, trainer for Mr. Gannon, the owner of yesterday's Cup winner.

The horse, it will be remembered, ran nearly last in last year's Melbourne Cup, although at that time backed for a large sum, and after this fiasco Arsenal was sold by Mr. Dakin to Mr. Gannon, who ran him only once in Sydney for the Christmas Gift, which he did not succeed in winning.

It appears that the horse used to strike his heels, and after a good deal of trouble Mr. Raynor managed to remedy this defect, and put him into training for the Melbourne Cup. The horse was also entered for the Metropolitan, but was scratched for that event, and whether this was done to save him and keep him dark for the Melbourne Cup may be left to conjecture.

English says that Mr. Raynor found that the horse was not well at that time, but the ailment appears to have been so slight that it required a very astute trainer—and this is what the jockey credits Mr. Raynor to be—to discover it, and Arsenal's indisposition was never severe enough to throw him out of work.

His preparation for yesterday's race has been seven months in progress, and during all this time English rode him at his exercise. He also fed and watered him, and a very good understanding grew up between the pair. English thought Arsenal a " very honest fellow," and the colt always ran very kindly and did his best when his young mentor was on his back.

On Friday last the Melbourne Cup winner arrived from Sydney, and was put up at Morrison's stables at Newmarket. The next morning he only cantered after his journey, and on Monday he did the only approach to a trial which could have given the Melbourne touts a true idea of his quality. In this trial, however, he only did a mile with a plater, whose defeat could scarcely afford a " line " to go by, and the stable were able to give Arsenal this finishing touch and still keep their secret safe.

There is no doubt that for twelve months the horse has been kept idle in the belief, which has been justified at last, that the Melbourne Cup would pay for his oats, and those who saw English ride the race will admit that a better selection for so important a task could not have been made.

Of the race itself English, whose victory has left him quite unassuming, says :—" On taking Arsenal out on the course I only gave him one short canter, but liked the way he was moving under me. He was going free and strong, and I knew that he had never been better in his life. I meant to ride a waiting race, and not bustle him along too fast at first. I was not told what to do, as Mr. Raynor always leaves me to ride a race according to my judgment.

I got a little nearer the rails than the centre of the field, between Lancer and Silvermine. On the fall of the flag I held Arsenal well in hand to settle him comfortably into his stride without bustling him. We dropped back gradually going up the straight past the grand stand and round the turn until going along by the river we were tenth or eleventh.

Then I took hold of Arsenal to push him a little closer up. I had the luck to get a clear run, and Arsenal went up so quick when I moved on him that at the abattoirs I stopped riding him, as we were third, and I thought that would do for a time. I let him go comfortably till coming into the turn into the straight, when I again took hold of him, and he went away with such a dash of foot that I thought we could win.

Hexham and Trident were the leaders. I sent Arsenal to catch them, and he collared Hexham in a few strides, and then Trident took Hexham's place and challenged us. I rode Arsenal hard for a little bit, and then eased off, for I had a short lead, and Hales was hard at work on Trident, who I knew had shot his bolt. I heard the whip cutting hard on his flanks, and there is no mistake about that. But when the race seemed all but won Trenton came up on Arsenal's flank, and then I did all I knew to stretch Arsenal to his top speed. I saw after going a few yards that Trenton was keeping stride for stride with Arsenal.

I could not get any farther away, and I was very glad he could not get any nearer. I was very glad to keep him where he was Arsenal did his best, as I knew he would. He was all out at the finish, and I don't think he will run in the V.R.C. Handicap on Saturday, for which he is entered. He was fit and well today, and is never likely to be a better horse than when he won the Cup.

I won nothing by his win, but a gentleman came into the jockeys' room when I was taking off my boots after the race, and toldme to call at the Opera-house club rooms tonight, and I would get £50. I am not going in for the money, but if the gentleman has any principle he will take care that I get it."

The last big race that English won was the Hawksbury Stakes. He has been very successful in more races, but so far has not been well enough known on metropolitan courses to get a show with important mounts.

Unfortunately Billy English was killed in a race fall 10 years later leaving a wife and three children ,one of whom was my maternal grandmother.

Victoria Racing Club advised me that in the week prior to the 1886 Melbourne Cup, W English rode a double at Rosehill.

William ENGLISH was killed whilst riding in an event on 1 October 1896.

From death certificate of William ENGLISH died at the Western Suburbs Cottage Hospital, Enfield. A Inquest was held and cause of death was "Concussion of the brain from injuries accidently received through being thrown from the racehorse Regalia whilst riding in a race at Cantebury Racecourse". Dated 15 October 1896 ."

W. English is named on the Fallen Jockeys Memorial at Caulfield racecourse.

ABC TV last night Back Roads took us to Thursday Island which brought back memories of my visits there when I was a union representative the main employers then and now are the Federal and State guvments the people are very friendly but times have changed since my visit many years ago there's a football oval now which looks like it might be where the old bowls club was all those years ago.I remember the place had two pubs the Federal and the Torres which weren't shown last night...... pity I would have liked to see the change in them if any...... on Fridays the Federal had bar snacks...... all the pubs did in those days usually peanuts or potatoes something not too expensive to encourage a thirst.....but in TI it was barramundi on the bar.

Pat Killoran aka (The Black Prince)a very imposing individual tall and strong and very determined was head of the DAIA formerly Native Affairs and Bob Katter was the Minister .....they didn't get along the Union was persuaded to intervene...... the objective was to get rid of Katter so I made representations to the Premier Sir Joh it backfired badly the outcome was he sided with Katter....... later after he retired Killoran stood for the Country Party or the Nationals for the seat but he wasn't successful.....Katter is still around but no longer one of the Nationals running his own show..

I had a game yesterday with a guy who told me he was runner up the week before with 42 points but was done over by another member who had 46 points...nothing unusual in that ...except this chap a new member who none of us had ever heard of was having his first game at the club was off 36 handicap the week before and parred the course in a stroke round reducing his handicap to 20.....his 46 points the following week indicated he played to 9 and he's gone from D grade to A grade in one week his new handicap is 8.

Questions are being asked.

After the AGM where a new broom swept out the old board...... apart from two who survived ...one has resigned after disagreement ...that's the rumour...couldn't get along with the new president...followed a few weeks later with another of the new breed spitting the dummy ..over what issues we are left to wonder...but the rumour mill is working overdrive....a personality clash.......now two new replacements have been installed ..one of whom had been a candidate at the last election but was unsuccessful...the second a mate of mine who is a very generous benefactor of the club over many years and has served in several capacities on the board or as it was then called the committee.....let's hope they can all get along....till the next election.

I don't know what the problem is or was with the golf club board......but it's a concern to members with an unprecedented departure of the newly elected president....... who we are informed has resigned after a board meeting on Thursday night...and according to an insider one of the two newly appointed replacement directors has followed him out the door......this means the remaining 5 members have to find another two members to fill the vacancies.After only a few months taking their seats in the board room they're now dropping like flies ...something is seriously wrong when almost half of the elected and subsequent appointees have resigned.

From all reports the club is performing well and the golf course is in excellent condition apart from some of the bunkers which need refurbishment when funds become available.

You would think that mature chaps should be prepared to tolerate each other even if there are disagreements over policies and get on with the job they were elected and promised to do.

Great places those old pubs. Central West Queensland, CQRA - It was a Great Era to grow up in and be around racing, was the late 60's and early/middle 70's. Some great Horses, Trainers, Jockeys and Characters!!

I left home just before my 14th birthday and travelled out to Quilpie to work as a cowboy.

When I got off the train I had been told to wander down to one of the pubs and book in and wait for the mail truck. I had no idea on how big the country was and was thinking that Ray Station,where I was heading, was just down the road. Lady in the pub really looked after me with plenty of food and a compfy bed and the mail truck picked me up the next day. Took the entire day to get out to Ray Station, it was that far away.

Stayed out in the bush for nearly four years and mainly worked with horses from down Quilpie way right up to NT. Might not have been a Uni education but I learnt things there that have helped in later life and never regretted it for a moment. The country pubs played a big part in my life in those days.

Looking through some early racebooks which just came into my hands the oldest is from 1933 It’s a lot different today..this one is from the AJC Summer meeting held on Boxing Day Tuesday 26th December 1933.There were 7 races starting at 1.5pm and the last was due at 4.20 pm There’s no form provided nor are barrier draws....the book has the horse. owner ,breeding ,age and sex weight colours and trainer, space is provided to write the riders names.

The 7 races had a total of 107acceptors including 6 emergencies which were bracketed 22 were scratchings.

Darby Munro had 2 winners Winasian in the Trial h’cap carried 8.7 the race was worth150 quid to the winner 30 second and20 third .Darby’s other winner was Jacko in the Chisholm h’cap which was worth 330 pounds to the winner he covered the 6 furlongs in 1.12.5.

Other winning riders were O’Sullivan . Bartle, Cook, Knox & possibly Parr but unclear.The Summer Cup worth 800 to the winner was won by Nord trained by W Kelso. Darby was on Satmoth which was unplaced it was trained by P Riddle who later trained champion Shannon the greatest certainty ever beaten in a major race when it lost 100 yards at the start to be beaten a half length or so by Blue legend...I think.?

The December Stakes was the main race worth a total of 1,300 pounds second 200 third 100 from the prize .....no fourth or rebates to unplaced runners nom and acceptance fees 1 pound if scratched 3 pounds if left in after 4pm and 13 pounds acceptance...... surprisingly the race attracted only 6 acceptors one of which was scratched and a number 7 was not named but was described as “Unlikely starter”owned by W A Ross’s Br g 2 by Rionscup (imp.)-Shiriya the race was won by Myra Tip, Ted Bartle.a 2yo filly by Tippler(imp.) she took 60.5 seconds to run the 5 furlongs .

Apart from race information the race book has results from recent meetings one from Victoria Park had a Brush hurdle won by Underwood ridden by Ted Mc Menamin carrying 10 stone2 lbs. Darby had a winner that day on Billo (late Atone).

Numerous information notices in the book one inviting patrons to open a credit account with the Tote to avoid taking large amounts of cash to the course with access to the Investment room.

Correct weight was given by hoisting a red flag .....green for protest (seems arse about )and if anyone got crook the doctor had to be on the lookout to notice the flag a white one with a red cross ..doctor required in the casualty room.

Important notice stipulating Control of Queues if patrons caught pushing in or passing money or a ticket to someone else closer to the window or doing any other thing mentioned they became liable to a 20 quid penalty.

There were bands in the Paddock DE Groen’s (Vice Regal with the RoyalSeal) Concert Band to keep the punters entertained with 12 selections closing with a sign “God Save The King”

In the St Leger reserve the Gallipoli Memorial Band did the honours play a different set of selections ..something for everyone to make the heart beat faster or tap the feet.

Then there were Traffic regulations almost 3 pages of where to go and what to do or what not to do and Tramway arrangements for the pedestrians without a horseless carriage.

Leger patrons got out a little cheaper just2/6 for lunch and only one bob for afternoon tea provided by Aearated Bread Co trading as Miss Bishop, caterers.

Finally a list of bookmakers and their stands a total of 87in the Paddock 113 in the leger and in the Flat another 135...some well known names from yester year Fred Angles in the Flat....reputedly one of the big punters in that era not sure if before or after bookmaking.... Les Tidmarsh in the Leger also O H Waterhouse while Jack Mandel was in the Paddock he raced Persian Lyric among others....lots of names I don’t recognise it was before most of us were born.

On the back page there are details of the Racecourses Admission Tax (Management)Act 1920 OIC signed by John T Lang under The Treasury gazette notice anyone caught gaining or attempting to gain admission without payment of the tax shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction be liable to a penalty not less than five and not exceeding fifty pounds.

Admission charges were 10/+3/2 tax for men and 5/- + 1/7 for ladies children 2/6 ...... the Leger only cost 2/10 for everyone children included ...no prices for the Flat must have been free..... the racebook cost 1/- that’s one shilling ..even bringing in your horse you had to pay as did floats based on the number of wheels.

Very interesting looking back in time...have a lot of others ...one 1936 Melbourne Cup book..... most are local QTC and BATC and more recent from around the late 1950's up to the mid 1980's one of my sons in law inherited them from his father and grandfather I suggested he contact the Racing Museum they might be interested in taking them.

Driving home this afternoon I thought I was dreaming listening to a harness race from Fairfield which hasn't raced for yonks...but today was a special day the last race meeting to be run there after which the track closes for good........many years ago I flew down to Sydney to a Parramatta Livestock harness horse sale and came home with an unraced 2yo ....he turned out OK too I named him Aggressive...when he came into the sale ring Bobby Allen a local trainer with a big mouth told all and sundry this was the best young pacer at Fairfield trained by Colin Watts ......who has long since retired..at the time I thought "Thanks a lot Bobby " ...he didn't let on that the horse cross fired and it took some clever shoeing to get him right.

Pity tracks like Fairfield aren't in use these days........ they used to hold gymkhanas there on Sundays as well as other venues in the Sydney area always great ways to spend a Sunday afternoon in the days before the birth of the TAB's and 7 day and night racing.

Yes I have been to gymkhanas at Fairfield, Bankstown, Liverpool, Blacktown and Granville. When I was about 8 or 9 I can remember our family being driven to Menangle for a gymkhana when the mobile barrier was tested for the first time. The place was crowded and traffic very slow on old Hume Highway.

The mobile barrier was first used at a registed meeting at Harold Park in November 1956. The race was won by Mineral Spring driven by Merv Adams.

That was much earlier than when night trotting started at Albion Park the first race was won by Curly Adios trained by Sam Zammit I don't recall whether he drove it or whether it was young Jim O'Sullivan......there was a mix of standing starts and mobiles......night racing attracted quite a few former NSW trainers and drivers to up stumps and come to Qld.....eventually the day tracks at Gold Coast and Redcliffe converted to night racing .......followed by Cairns and Townsville now apart from Albion Park only Redcliffe remains with the Gold Coast being resumed for other purposes..this is the legacy of successive QHRBs.

I had a call last night on behalf of Peter Russo the local member in view of Saturday's State election asking is there anything Peter Russo could do for me .."Well yes as a matter of fact I would like him to bring back Rocklea trots"......I said "No problem was the reply "Russo is the ALP member for Toohey his electorate includes the Rocklea Showgrounds which is surrounded by Labor held electorates and due to the recent boundary changes we are now in Toohey while previously we were in Mansfield.Rocklea was closed by the former QHRB and our appeal to the Racing Appeals Board fell on deaf ears......seeing the ALP guvment is promising millions to country race clubs surely they could throw a few crumbs to help the battlers in Rocklea and surrounding areas.,

The last race meeting conducted by the Metropolitan Harness Racing Club Rocklea was in July 25th 2009 last night I found an old You Tube video of the day it's not high quality but it's all there is.

Remembering the good old days when Racing was King generally only two meetings a week provincial on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Eagle Farm Doomben and occasionally Albion Park before the track was given over to Trotting...... Long before Corporates discovered OZ in the 1960's and before this and for some years after there were bookies bookies everywhere shoulder to shoulder and back to back in three enclosures this is how many bookies lined up to shout the odds at Eagle Farm over the Queen's Birthday weekend in 62/63...I remember Merv Cooper RIP giving one lady her ticket and promising her "A new hat if it wins"...other times if paying out on a roughie he would ask the lucky punter "How did you back that?" Bookies had character and bet up big in the Paddock......most if not all of those in the list are long gone and if they could see how forlorn the betting rings are today they would wonder how it all went wrong.

Today they're racing at Beaudesert In Qld once upon a time the QTC would never give up public holidays except for the May Day weekend when Doomben rabn the Labor Day meeting on the Monday holiday

Arsenal it just shows (yet again ) the depths to which Queensland Racing has plummeted under a series of Governments from both political persuasions. Sydney has metro racing Today at Randwick while Melbourne conducts the VRC St Leger meeting at Flemington. The highlight in Queensland is a riveting benchmark 75 at Beaudesert. Time someone turned off the lights.

It doesn't seem so long ago, when every provincial city with a racetrack conducted a sold-out Anzac Day meeting

The races were followed up by a huge 'swy' game

The pubs were all 'closed' in the morning . . but actually did a roaring trade from after the Dawn Parade

One publican up this way (a returned man) provided finger food for the public, and free drinks for the local pipe band to entertain. The band would adjourn to the main morning parade, and then return till lunchtime, before heading off to the track, to do it all over again

Last time I went to Beaudesert races ...it was many years ago...there was a two up game after the races out in front of the Veresdale Hotel it was run by a couple of toughs ......one of whom I used to see conducting mock auctions in a vacant shopfront in Queen St .......until the cops swooped and the crowd dispersed.......one of the cops was Det Sgt Patrick Glancy who featured some years later in various crime reports and the Fitzgerald Inquiry if my memory serves me correctly.

Arsenal, never forget a famous photograph of the time of Glancy arresting Senator George Georges during a demonstration during the Bjelke Peterson era in Queensland politics. The particularly poignant image of that photograph was of the late Tom Uren also being escorted by Queensland Police. To a young bloke like myself at the time it didn't portray this Country in a very fashionable light when you considered that Uren was an ex prisoner of war in Changi and yet here he was being man handled by the police service for protesting about something which he all but gave his life for this Country about.

The Lyceum Hotel at the end of Eagle Street in Longreach has been burned to the ground ...media reports that the hotel was empty at the time and was on the market for sale...looks like a torch job on the limited information so far....... In my Union job I had been to Longreach a few times.... many years ago..... the QGTB the Tourist Bureau always did my bookings and on arrival I was booked into the Lyceum Hotel......the Clerk of the Court told me it was a shearers' pub and I'm likely to find I'll be sharing a room with some strangers .. get out of there was his advice .......he rang the Commercial Hotel and booked a room for me there ...I retrieved by belongings from the Lyceum.... no questions asked ......and apart from the noise it was an uneventful stop over ..in the course of which I met the local AWU Secretary and we had a few drinks and exchanged stories.....for the life of me I can't remember his name but he was an old guy ..a lot older than me......he put me on the mailing list for The Worker the AWU newspaper....but it's long gone.

I had lunch on Friday with an old racing mate who has an extensive library on all racing codes and I came away with (the loan of )one of his treasured books on harness racing by the now deceased Raymond Lowndes called "From KEDRON to ALBION PARK" A Pictorial History of Trotting In Queensland 1880-1968" Book Two covers the period 1950 to 1968.....it's massive historical record 617 pages and so far I'm up to 197.

Many of the trainers drivers administrators are known to me although my interest in harness racing only started when night trotting started in Brisbane in 1968.One old mate of mine Bernie Higgins who lived in a house on Logan Rd Holland Park when I knew him had a long history in trotting starting on the show circuit as did all the others then engaged in trotting gets an extensive cover of his doings some of which were a revelation to me..... Bernie never mentioned his grounding in thoroughbred racing but as Raymond reveals Bernie Higgins rode racehorses track work at Canterbury as a teenager.....he was a strapper of Dark Marne when it won the Doomben Cup returning to Sydney Bernie worked for Ted Hush a top Sydney trainer.

Bernie rated Hydrogen which he broke in as the best horse in the stable at the time.....Pride of Egypt was another top class horse .......but his biggest thrill in life was to lead in Russia after it won the Melbourne Cup...I remember drawing Russia in our school boy sweep that year at St James in the Valley. Russia was sired by Excitement out of Lady March Red Brown Sash ridden by the incomparable Darby Munro.

Bernie was 74 when he passed away in 2001

Amongst all the characters mentioned Alf Merson who lived a 7 iron away from our first home in Holland Park West later renamed Tarragindi his house and stables are still there but the jogging track is no more part of the M1 Freeway......lots of memories of the early days still to be revived.